The Mexican Army seized approximately 2,700 pounds of illicit drugs in two separate security operations over the past weekend in the tourist municipality of Ensenada, Baja California.
The first operation took place late Friday, August 17, when soldiers secured a Cessna plane with approximately 470 kilograms of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl in a remote area known as the San Fernando Canyon, according to local reports.
Personnel of the II Military Region were dispatched to search for an aircraft spotted in the area when they came upon an abandoned white Cessna.
In the second operation, the Army seized 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds) of various drugs hidden off a dirt road on August 18. The cache consisted of methamphetamine, fentanyl in powder and pill forms, and marijuana, according to local media.
Seized materials were taken by the federal prosecutor’s office.
The beach resort town of Ensenada is a key smuggling location for Mexican cartels primarily because of its port, access to major highways like Federal Highway 1, and proximity to the U.S. border– 70 miles away. The primary criminal groups operating in the area are Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) and remnants of the Cártel Arellano Félix, who are aligned against warring factions of the Sinaloa Cartel’s “Los Aquiles” and “Los Uriarte.”
Breitbart Texas reported extensively on major seizures and related cartel violence in the once peaceful tourist hub. In June, the Mexican Army seized nearly two tons of drugs during a vehicle inspection.
In January, Breitbart Texas reported on a half-ton seizure of methamphetamine and fentanyl during a traffic stop.
Robert Arce is a retired Phoenix Police detective with extensive experience working Mexican organized crime and street gangs. Arce has worked in the Balkans, Iraq, Haiti, and recently completed a three-year assignment in Monterrey, Mexico, working out of the Consulate for the United States Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Program, where he was the Regional Program Manager for Northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas.) You can follow him on Twitter. He can be reached at robertrarce@gmail.com
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